Irish Republican Army apologizes for deaths it caused in last 30 years

AP via Boston.com ^ | 7/16/02

[GeneD]

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- The Irish Republican Army issued an unprecedented apology Tuesday for the deaths of "noncombatants" over 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland.

The IRA made the apology in a statement marking the anniversary of Bloody Friday, when it set off more than 20 bombs within an hour in Belfast on July 21, 1972, killing seven civilians and two soldiers.

[GeneD]

Oh.

Now if Yassir would do this -- in Arabic....

[sheik yerbouty]

Don't hold your breath...

[Thane_Banquo]

Good. Thirty years late, but good to hear nonetheless.

[jonatron]

"Isn't that special?"

[Tancred]

Of course, the Irish have been mad at the English since the 12th century. Therefore, we need to give the Arabs at least another 800 years to forgive the Israelis.

[Dales]

The apology is nice. Now let's see if the future actions live up to the apology. Unless the IRA loses the infatuation with Marxism I don't think it is likely.

They are still a blight on my heritage, but at least a little bit less of one after this apology.

[Alberta's Child]

It sounds like Great Britain and Ireland are starting to grow up.

In late September of 2001, the name of the Royal Ulster Constabulary was changed to the Northern Irish Police, and the British flag and portrait of Queen Elizabeth were removed from every police station in Northern Ireland.

When Tony Blair visited the U.S. after 9/11 and sat in on President Bush's address to Congress, he wasn't in Washington to show Britain sympathy for the victims -- he was getting his marching orders from the Bush administration.

[gridlock]

Why on Earth would anybody with a right mind be at all interested in what the IRA has to say about anything?

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Have they renounced socialism, or do they still sleep with a picture of Castro under their pillows?

The IRA is a discredited organization that should be ignored.

[Gaston]

"We remain totally committed to the peace process and to dealing with the challenges and difficulties which this presents. This includes the acceptance of past mistakes and of the hurt and pain we have caused to others."

A good start would be to offer up the names of those responsible for these terrorist acts to be put on trial by those who were harmed. Only this, would show true commitment.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

Hm...m...m. Talk is cheap. Apologies, without action, are about as worthless as faith without corresponding action. I find the conflict in this part of the world more vile than that in the Middle East. If these "combatants" are Chistian, I'm Myron Cohen (and I'm not).

[2banana]

Please source some info on Marxism and the IRA. I am having a debate with an Irish buddy and this info would come in mighty handy.

[2banana]

Please source some info on Marxism and the IRA. I am having a debate with an Irish buddy and this info would come in mighty handy

[Sloth]

"We offer our sincere apologies and condolences to their families."

Oh. Well, I guess that makes everything okay, then.

[Dales]

It isn't hard to find.

Here is a starting point for your research.

[The Californian]

Whew! Please forgive me ahead of time - I know ABSOLUTELY nothing about this conflict (except that it has gone on for generations).

Is this possibly a step in the right direction. Admitting your errors publicly is possibly a beginning. Reading this, I just couldn't imagine the PLO issuing anything resembling this. Was the IRA the PLO of 20 years ago?

I know that talk is cheap, but talk is a better place to work from then bombs. You can't bring back the dead, or undo the harm done, but does that mean that future resolution is impossible?

No blasting me, please. I am as ignorant of this particular conflict as the average American. However, comments to educate are always welcome.

[jonatron]

good luck, because proof usually means very little to those
enamored with the IRA-myth.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Basically I'm going by the things they have said and done over the years. But one question I have is what was the IRA doing in Columbia teaching marxist rebels how to make bombs?

"After a few minutes of talking about ‘inching forward’ towards the peace process, Haass finally snapped. ‘If any American, service personnel or civilian, is killed in Colombia by the technology the IRA supplied then you can f**k off,’ he shouted, finger jabbing towards Adam’s chest. ‘Don’t tell me you know nothing about what’s going on there, we know everything about it,’” Ruddock writes.

Haass was referring to the arrest of three alleged IRA men in Columbia in August, one of whom was Sinn Fein’s representative in Cuba, Niall Connolly. After the meeting with Haass, Adams made the spurious claim that Connolly’s appointment had been made without his knowledge or the authorisation of the international department of Sinn Fein.

If they're not communist sypathizers, they sure are doing a good job of acting like it.

[jonatron]

It's like a pedophile priest "saying sorry" for raping hundreds of innocent little boys and expecting everything to be OK. Maybe the IRA finally thinks that people are starting to see them for what they really are, especially after the IRA-guys caught in Colombia and the IRA-type bombs found used by Palestinian terrorists in Israel.

Too little too late, and the IRA should be in the sights in this War on Terrorism.